9 Tips for Making Your Wedding Guest List
There are lots of factors that go into making your wedding guest list. You have to consider your budget, venue, wedding style, priorities, family dynamics, whether you’re inviting kids and which co-workers to invite. Don’t stress, just know you will have to put time and effort into creating the guest list. Here are 9 tips to keep in mind when building your wedding guest list.
1. The number one factor that will affect your budget is guest count. Consider everything a guest needs that you will be paying for. Food to eat, alcohol and other beverages to drink, a chair to sit on, a plate to eat off of, a table to put the plate on, linen to cover the table, flatware to eat the food with, linen napkin when eating, a cup to drink out of (you get the point). If you take the average price per head of all these items – you are paying about $90 for every guest. Let’s round that up to $100 to make it easier. The difference between 100 guests and 200 guests is $10,000! So, if you are on a tight budget – focus on editing down your guest list.
2. Be organized! No matter how many people you end up inviting, you must be organized. Have an excel spreadsheet with columns for first and last names, addresses, email, plus one’s name, save the date, invitation, RSVP, table number, gift, thank you and notes. For a guest list template – email me!
3. Do multiple rounds of editing your guest list. Start round 1 within the first month of planning your wedding. Once you have a better idea of your budget, theme, priorities and venue, you can start to edit that list. Aim to have it finalized a month before you send Save the Dates.
4. Make a decision and stick with it. I have heard my fair share of “if you invite one cousin you have to invite all, if you invite one kid you have to invite them all.” You know your family and friends better than I do. If you don’t get along with that one cousin – don’t invite that one cousin. If you don’t want kids at your wedding – don’t have kids at your wedding. Understand that you may get some disgruntled family members or friends that won’t be happy with your decision, but THIS IS YOUR DAY. If you are okay with the idea of having to speak with some upset guests, invite who you want to invite. If you invite someone you really don’t want there, you might end up spending your special day dealing with that guest when you should be focusing on the fact that you are marrying the love of your life. Just saying.
5. Be mindful of plus ones. Going back to the budget topic. If you are on a tight budget – maybe don’t give every guest a plus one. Use the rule – if they have been together for 6 months or more, they can have a plus one. Generally speaking, your bridal party should get a plus one too.
6. Ask yourself tough questions. If you have a guest you are on the fence about inviting, ask yourself some tough questions. Would I take this person out to dinner and pay for their $100 meal? Have I even seen this person recently? If I weren’t getting married, would I see them soon? Do they have an influence on my life or my fiancé’s life?
7. Avoid an A list and B list. The theory here is if an A lister can’t make it, you can sub them in with a B lister. This is more work for you having to manage multiple RSVP deadlines. You will have to be ultra organized. And if a B lister finds out they are on the B list…things can get awkward real quick.
8. Organize your guest list by who might sit together. This will make you life a lot easier when it is time to put together a seating chart. Group together family members, cousins, college friends, high school friends, co-workers when drafting that guest list.
9. Know that it will all work out. Yes, this will require tough decision making on your end and will take time to edit, but don’t stress out too much. It always works out in the end and the people you love will be there to celebrate your special day with you.
Happy Planning!
